Chronic diseases and health promotion

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Strategy and organization

The rapid rise of chronic diseases represents one of the major health challenges to global development. Chronic noncommunicable diseases currently account for some 60% of global deaths and almost half (47%) the global burden of disease. The majority of chronic disease death, disability and morbidity currently takes place in low- and middle-income countries. The Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion (CHP) brings together a number of cross-cutting areas of work in order to lead and strengthen global efforts to prevent and control chronic diseases and to promote health through effective partnerships, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

The CHP department resulted from the 2004 merger of two departments, Chronic Disease Management, and Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and the cross-cutting surveillance activities. This merger was prompted by the need to strengthen and rationalise the WHO's chronic disease and health promotion activities in light of the following factors:

the growing social and economic burden of chronic diseases;

the existing knowledge base;

the gap in implementation;

the demand for increased support to countries.

Organizational structure

Regional activities

Regional offices are actively developing and implementing chronic disease prevention and control strategies in association with country offices as part of WHO's global response to the prevention and control of chronic, noncommunicable diseases.